BS interview answers

[SixPapaCharlie]

Speaking to a former coworker that is looking for work and he says

Wait first, this is an educated professional in his 50s with lots of experience.

He says "If they ask me for a weakness I just look down and shake my head and say 'I just work too dang hard' I am just passionate about getting the job done to a fault"

It took everything I had not to punch him in the dick. Probably has a big one. He is a big guy. I might have had to punch it twice just to cover it.

I mean he is heavy. He is not like 8 feet tall. but most people would say [chris farley pause voice] That's one big fella... Likes a second helping if ya know what I mean.

Ok so yeah just tell people what sucks about you.

My boss interviewed me and said what is your greatest weakness?

I said:
"How much time do you have?

It depends on who you ask.
If you ask my current boss, he gets frustrated that my brain doesn't shift gears fast enough. He walks up and wants to know about x. I say will let me think for a second, I was doing y. Sometimes I pull up notes and give him info on x. He hates this feature of me. He wants me to be able to recall anything instantly. I just dont have that much RAM

Now if you want to know what I think my biggest weakness is, I get distracted easily. Since this is a weakness I am well aware of, you probably wont notice it. I counter it by taking notes all the time. In a meeting, I write down most things not because I will forget but because it forces me to stay engaged. It works well for me."

She goes "That was unusually honest"
I said "you will find out eventually right?"

Do not go to an interview and spout off your communications 101 course to a perspective employer.

Sorry. I just had this conversation and couldn't believe a dude with the chops to handle ANYTHING in IT and a plausibly moderately sized wang was going to interview with this college intern "Make a negative a positive" idea.

Dont do that.

If anyone asks you why man hole covers are round in an interview
you say "Because man holes are round! Round hole, Round Lid Mutha Effa"

No need to do anything rote in an interview.

I bet he has a big man hole too.

 

[Jim Logajan]

Companies that still rely on open-ended questions in unstructured interviews deserve the fiscal difficulties that come their way.

It isn't like study after study has shown that unstructured interviews actually lead to the less productive and qualified candidates being hired. It is sad though, but perhaps not unexpected, that few are charged with designing a company's hiring process. And even if someone is, they don't know enough (or do not have the humility to realize the processes they learned from others are flawed) to do some research on what studies have revealed as the best predictors of quality hires.

 

[Jim Logajan]

More often than not, open-ended questions, along with longer than normal pauses, will net you answers to questions you'd like to ask, but can't.

If the point of the open-ended questions in an unstructured interview are intended only as a secondary screen to insure the candidate's personality in not incompatible with co-workers, that would probably limit the harm that might otherwise happen.

First some necessary definitions:
A definition of structured interview.
And of unstructured interview.

Some relevant articles (lots more exist; this is just a small sample):

Belief in the unstructured interview: the persistence of an illusion

Why Employers Should Ditch the Unstructured Job Interview

Why Interviews are a Waste of Time